Would you believe us if we told you that the highlight of Jaylen Brown’s Sunday night poster dunk over Clint Capela occurred far in advance of the jam?

You have doubts. With everyone scrambling in all directions and Luke Kornet forcing his way onto the court, Brown’s dunk created one of those bench tidal waves. Entire groups of supporters were left dumbfounded and/or pounding their heads frantically in a “on his head” celebration after Brown’s right-hand flush:

Though both of Brown’s explosions on top of Capela and his crossover blow-by of Atlanta’s All-Star guard Trae Young were undoubtedly impressive, our favorite moments of the sequence didn’t involve either of them. The entire event started when Brown won a foot sprint to block Derrick White’s failed 3-pointer and grabbed the offensive rebound from a triangle formed by three Hawks jerseys.

In actuality, there were just two Hawks attempting to collect the ball and one Young who was idly lingering close. When a teammate failed to get the ball before Brown, Young had the gall to sneer loudly.

When Brown blasted by Young like a traffic cone and then delivered the right-handed slam straight over the top of the 6-foot-10 Capela, Young was still crying.

Over the last two weeks, opponents have won the foot race to a 50/50 ball much too frequently. Heck, Brown made sure he emerged with it even though this was more akin to a 20/80 ball. On Sunday night, the Celtics displayed a greater number of hustle plays than they had in any of their previous away games.

Brown was rewarded with a spectacular dunk that should rank among the greatest of his expanding repertoire.

Among the Celtics’ players, Brown did not have the most exciting night. All-NBA friend Jayson Tatum led Boston to victory with a 113-103 victory in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of his 34 points overall. Brown’s performance wasn’t the most memorable. Al Horford asserted as he pulled down 15 rebounds overall in a pinch start as Kristaps Porzingis was out for at least a week due to a calf strain.

However, Brown had a strong all-around performance, which included a poster dunk as part of a 21-point total, which began with him defending Young for a few minutes. Brown collected seven rebounds and made some terrific passes along the way; his three assists did not completely reflect his skillful playmaking in this contest.

Boston’s success as a whole depends on Brown’s scoring. However, with the abundance of offensive talent on the Celtics, especially when they’re healthy, we wish Brown would embrace having an effect in different capacities.

That’s why it was so captivating to rush to extend a possession. It was the Celtics who were outmuscled in Orlando and outhustled in Charlotte. Before Sunday’s game, head coach Joe Mazzulla urged his squad to embrace corner crashing once more. Two of the game’s most memorable moments saw Brown and Horford emerge from throngs of black jerseys after momentum rebounds.

Naturally, the hustling plays weren’t always made by the Celtics. And in the second half, Atlanta managed to worm their way back into the contest. However, Boston produced enough plays to keep a double-digit advantage from completely disappearing as it has in previous games.

Because Brown and rookie Porzingis have such a great rapport, it was reasonable to question whether Brown’s offensive effectiveness would suffer in Porzingis’ absence. Although Brown was only 2 of 7 (3PT) from beyond the arc on Sunday, he still managed to make 7 of his 12 shots from there.

Most people’s attention will be drawn to the dunk over Capela as they take in the victory. If Brown hadn’t worked so hard to grab the offensive rebound, it never would have happened. Brown also got into a basketball mosh pit on other occasions in an attempt to create positive outcomes.

When Boston was attempting to stifle Atlanta’s early surge late in the third quarter, Brown pulled down another long rebound following a White miss. This time, Brown lost control while pursuing and spun around De’Andre Hunter’s back before tumbling to the Garden floor below. Although he missed the rebound, his effort was not in vain.

After taking the fall, Brown claimed he felt like he was in a “little car accident,” but he assured everyone that he would be fine, even though he was already experiencing more after the game as the adrenaline wore off.

Brown needs to get more involved in those fights for the Celtics—safely, of course. Brown’s ability to influence the game in a variety of ways allowed him to earn an NBA All-Star selection, but he now appears more eager than ever to accept his roles as a rebounder and a more reliable facilitator (especially if he reduces his turnover rate).

A looping repeat of the poster dunk will occur. However, it’s the bustle that we long to witness repeatedly.